This week, after almost a year of reading and research (collecting valuable resources), creating and sharing, discussing and re-evaluating, and most importantly learning in the OLTD program and communities, I vowed to make digital curation a focus for improvement. This is because chaos appears to be seeping into my digital workflow. I thought I had a system, but I find the more online communities I populate, and the more tools and digital material I access, the more I need to rework my curation process. A few years ago, bookmarks seemed like a good idea, but now that I have too many to count, bookmarks are no longer an effective way to keep track of resource links, etc. Similarly, online tools for ‘storing’ resources are no longer enough.

Tools valuable for digital curation require the ability to tag and categorize in order to make filtering and searching easy. Furthermore, sharing options and integrative features are a growing necessity these days. I started using tools for digital curation a few years ago, but now I see there are better tools and add-ons to help with efficient and effective curation – now it is easier to implement a direct migration of material (from one's browser, desktop, etc.) for curation and filing. Yet, although making changes to one’s filing and curating system sounds like it should be easy, for me, redesigning my process for curating is a bit like trading up on a vehicle and hoping the wheels don't fall off in the process.

To help me visualize my digital workflow, I have created the following Gliffy. This visual clearly illustrates that I spend a great deal of time creating, and not enough time curating… I think. What do you think?

I agree with your comments re curating. That is a question I had been mulling recently, especially since starting 505. Personally I am really interested in the creation of shared resources by students. I see it as a tool that allows them to show and evolve their knowledge, share ideas and be part of something bigger. My concern however was that as the product evolves, how will I ensure that they manage the information. I don’t want wrong information out there in there, but I don’t want to do their project for them. I see it as an ongoing ‘saga’. Perhaps (assuming it works) classes that follow can expand the catalogue and curate the existing/original works.

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Fenella

5/24/2015 05:17:50

Thanks for your comment, Robert. What a great idea to have classes that follow to "expand the catalogue and help to curate existing/original works"! Regarding your concern about having "wrong information out there", I wonder if there would be the understanding that the information represents the student's learnings at a given point in time. I often find that as I gain better insight and research a topic in more depth, my understandings change and/or evolve ... and yes, I often realize I was wrong in my initial assessment of the material. :)

Hi Fenella,
I think you are absolutely correct. And, I think many of us are in the same boat. Curation always seems to be a reactive exercise, responding to too much data that isn't organized well enough. I thought I had it covered with a combination of One Note and Evernote but am starting to question my structure. Too much data, too fast, and not enough care/foresight setting up my filing components?. Although as I write this I am realizing I haven't really tested my search capability to find the more obscure items I have stored. Will keep you posted...

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Fenella

5/24/2015 05:37:48

Thanks, Barry! I'm glad to know it's not just me. As you say, there's "too much data, too fast". As for setting up the filing components and systems for curation, I think foresight and care might just be one aspect. We have to remember that new systems appear daily - I'm still in the process of setting up my Diigo Outliners (new in December 2014), as they will be getting rid of 'lists' in the future. Also, I need to implement saving Twitter links to Pocket (there's a Pocket share feature on Twitter that I have yet to use). Ah, so much to learn, and maybe too many options? I hope this link will provide some ideas: https://groups.diigo.com/group/viu-_-online-learning/content/mrsfucoloro-instructionaltechnology-content-curation-social-bookmarking-13763214 Good luck!

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Kym Toporowski

5/23/2015 06:56:20

Fenella,

What a great graphic you have created. I looked at this quickly as one of the options this week but found it a bit confusing when I looked at the original example. Even though yours is even more elaborate, I find it easy to follow. It's amazing how many different tools that are being used daily to help us access and distribute information. I agree, that we do spend a lot of our time collecting information but not enough time sorting and curating what we have.

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Fenella

5/24/2015 05:50:20

Hi Kym, thanks so much for the positive feedback. As you note, we use a vast number of different tools daily (there were many more I probably could have added, given time), but the tools I now need to focus on are those that will help with sorting and curating of digital information. I wish I had concentrated on this sooner. :)

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Katia Hildebrandt

5/24/2015 00:57:07

Fenella - I love this graphic! My curation process is definitely a work in progress, but I like using IFTTT to send Twitter favourites to Evernote. I also use a hashtagging system on Twitter to make things easier to find. So if I retweet or tweet something related to a particular area (say, identity), I use the hashtag to make it more searchable for me in the future. But I suppose neither of these systems are much help to others. Do you see curation as something for you only, or is curation itself another act of creation in that others can now access your compiled resources?

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Barry Switnicki

5/26/2015 09:21:24

Hi Katia,
Like Fenella you provided yet another AHA moment for me!. Curating not only for myself but others also. I am definitely going to look at my structure and also at other ways that I can make my personal curation structure more public and accessible to allow others to share what have also.

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Fenella

5/24/2015 06:37:27

Hi Katia. Thanks so much for the kind comment and valuable input about IFTTT, Evernote, and Twitter. It sounds like you have some great systems, and I appreciate you taking the time to share them. Insight from others always helps. As for your question, "is curation itself another act of creation in that others can now access your compiled resources?" - you are so right! Wow, thanks for the aha moment. I really need to re-evaluate how I define curation. Thanks again for the great insight.

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Melanie

5/24/2015 07:25:09

OMG. You are so advanced at this! I love the graphic but I would also love a screen cap tutorial on how this process works with a real life example. Curation is going to be a huge 21st century issue. Glad to know someone who's been around is using Evernote.

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Karen Gadowsky

5/24/2015 08:14:16

I would love to shadow you Fenella, if but for a few days to see how this all works in action! I am finding that I am becoming more discriminating about what I choose to save but the "where to save stuff" continues to be a HUGE problem for me!

To add to the problem, I've recently noticed a tendency toward anxiety and panic when dealing with digital information retrieval. I definitely have to find (or create) a curation system that helps me locate the stuff I have stored. Presently I feel like the proverbial squirrel who can't remember where she has stored all the nuts and... it's making me nuts!

I noticed that your main go-to seems to be Evernote. I'm hoping that this is the panacea for my panic. People have raved about it, but I did not see the appeal until I found this post (http://lifehacker.com/5989980/ive-been-using-evernote-all-wrong-heres-why-its-actually-amazing) that helped me understand why I should commit to using Evernote.

Unless that is, there is something newer and better on the horizon?

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Fenella

5/24/2015 08:55:18

Hi Karen, I can certainly relate to your squirrel analogy - so true! Believe me, I would definitely not be the right person to shadow. I believe Dr. Alec Couros would offer much insight, as he seems to be able to retrieve links and material at the drop of a hat. I can usually get a sense of how well a person curates their digital flow when taking part in Twitter chats - I take way too long to find links, meanwhile, others like Alec seem to integrate links, etc., into lively chat streams without missing a step. As you note, curation is an evolving process, as are the tools and technologies. My process is still in Beta!

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Fenella

5/24/2015 08:28:41

Ha, thanks Melanie! I just like to 'play' better than I like to curate. What I need is a course on digital curation to force me to focus on this area, rather than get distracted with new apps and tools that inspire creativity instead. :)

I, too, admire your Gliffy and am inspired to try that app. But, I'm more impressed by the number of tools you're using. As for curating, my computer is the equivalent of the stuffed-to-the-ceiling closet of everything collected and tossed in there. Perhaps I'll look at Evernote. What I want to ask you, though, what is the appeal of Twitter for you? It hasn't "grabbed" me. At this time, I don't see the benefit of it, and I view it as just another time suck. Thank you. Mac.

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Fenella

5/24/2015 13:48:09

Thanks, Mac! I guess I love to tinker with technology, but that can be problematic at times too (i.e., insufficient curation ...). As for your question about Twitter, it is one of my favourite ways to learn. I think of it as pro-D you can do in your PJs. You can participate as little or as much as you wish (I usually like to scan through tweets, links, etc, with a cup of coffee before I start the day - I don't always feel "chatty", but I like to investigate and read), and you can select areas of interest by searching for tweets with certain hashtags (i.e., #edtechbc, #edchat), or by following people or groups. I find a large number of valuable and interesting resources this way, and often you'll find information on Twitter first, before it hits the media. However, Twitter is more than just a Twitterverse of hashtags and links, it's a way to connect with educators (from BC or around the world) and bounce ideas off one another (or come across great ideas). I find it interesting to see trends in districts and provinces emerge. I can also digress from educational chats to areas of personal interest just by changing the hashtag I follow. Like everything, it's all about balance, and I agree, sometime this is hard to achieve.

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Carrie

5/25/2015 04:56:32

Your Gliffy is amazing! I’ve never seen one before, and have now added that to my Pinterest board of Tools. It drives me crazy to not have everything organized, but I’ve also found that lately I’m just too busy to keep everything straight. Pinterest is great for helping me try to keep everything in one place where I can see it easily. I also have to remember to delete sites that are not going to provide me with anything I need. My bookmarks on my browser clearly represent my digital hoarding! I have sites bookmarked that I have never found anything useful, and yet I don’t delete ..... just in case! I have the same bad habit with documents. I’ve only recently started deleting documents that I’ve saved forever. No matter how out-dated they were, something in the back of my mind always said ‘But you might have a great use for that one day!’ I hope they don’t start a Digital Hoarding reality TV show?

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Fenella

5/25/2015 14:08:23

Thanks for the kind comment, Carrie. Regarding curation, a few people have mentioned how much they like Pinterest, so I should log on and check it out again. It has been a while since I looked at it, and when I used it before, it was from a non-educational standpoint (there are so many tools, and never enough time...). Also, I can certainly relate to your habit of digital hoarding - I often feel the same way, especially with bookmarks, files and photos. I guess because we can, we do. Now to change that mindset!!!

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jhengstler

5/25/2015 07:45:41

Hi, Fenella.
In the flowing fire hose of data that is the internet, after identification of "good information", curation is the second most critical skill. I like to use a social bookmarking application (I use Delicious, others use Diigo), as well as Pinterest to collect my nuggets of knowledge that I don't care to lose. These are very dependent on a "folksonomy" or my personal taxonomy than any official tagging system for adding metadata. That said, I have learned a thing or two by how others have tagged data on platforms that I use. I have also used Zotero for curating articles/etc. That one takes a bit more data input, and I admit to being more reluctant to commit the time/energy--especially when the other services are so simple. I need to get my PDF library cleaned up and cataloged. Maybe this summer?
Check me out on Delicious https://delicious.com/jhengstler or Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jhengstler/ You can see how I tagged & organized my data. I also enjoy using these services because they can act like a "match making" service for people with similar interests & you can follow each other.

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Fenella

5/25/2015 14:41:08

Hi Julia. Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog, and especially for the wonderful input regarding curation. I love your comment about curation being a "folksonomy" - I found myself doing a Google search and reading further on this ... Wow, the learning that occurs with a comment on a blog! As I mentioned to Carrie in her comment above, I definitely have to consider Pinterest again, and I'm glad you mentioned Zotero. I've read about it, bookmarked it (of course), but never used it. I look forward to further checking out your tagging and organizing on the links you provided. It always helps to look at examples. A brief look at your terrific Pinterest site makes me think I should convert my LiveBinders to boards (yikes!). Thanks again, and enjoy the summer filing! :-)